Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and all of the other religions across our planet have special days and festivals in their calendar. Our Quiz Questions About Religious Dates and Festivals encourage children to research a few of them to broaden their knowledge and understanding. Whether they are religious or not, most kids are fascinated by the history and amazing stories surrounding religion and the ten quiz questions about festivals and dates form a good starting point for further discussion.
All of the different religions around the world have many similarities and many differences; most help people to think about all of the great mysteries in our lives like ‘How was the world formed?’, ‘Why do bad things happen?’ and ‘What happens when somebody dies?’.
Question 1: On what day is the Islamic ‘Day of Assembly’ celebrated every week?
Question 2: Whose birthday is celebrated during ‘Visakah Puja’ celebrations?
Question 3: How many days after Easter does ‘Ascension Day’ fall?
Question 4: On what day does the Hindu ‘Pongal’ celebrations take place?
Question 5: When does the Jewish ‘Shabbat’ begin?
Question 6: Which is the seventh day for ‘Seventh-Day Adventists’?
Question 7: Why is the the Wednesday before Easter known as ‘Spy Wednesday’?
Question 8: For how many days does the Hindu festival ‘Diwali’ last?
Question 9: What are ‘Gurpurabs’?
Question 10: Which event does the Buddhist holiday ‘Bodhi Day’ commemorate?
ANSWERS BELOW … STOP SCROLLING !
Answer 1: The ‘Day of Assembly’ is celebrated every Friday. It’s the day when all male Muslims are called to the noon-time prayer to pray communally.
Answer 2: The Buddha. Traditionally, Buddha’s birthday is known as ‘Visakah Puja’ or just ‘Vesak’ and is the major annual Buddhist festival which celebrates not only the Buddha’s birth but also his enlightenment and death. It occurs on the first full moon in May (except when there’s a leap year when Vesak is celebrated in June).
Answer 3: Ascension Day is the fortieth day after Easter. It is also known as ‘Holy Thursday’ and marks the end of the Easter period. Christians believe that 40 days after Jesus’s resurrection he ascended to heaven at the Mount of Olives watched by his disciples.
Answer 4: Hindu ‘Pongal’ celebrations take place on January 14th every year. It’s their harvest festival that lasts for four days.
Answer 5: The Jewish ‘Shabbat’ is their weekly day of rest; it begins just before sunset on Friday and ends soon after sunset the following day. It’s the time when Jews remember that God rested on the seventh day of creation so they, too, stop work and make time for family and practising their religion.
Answer 6: Seventh-Day Adventists observe Saturday as their seventh.
Answer 7: The Wednesday before Easter is sometimes known as ‘Spy Wednesday’ because it is believed to be the day that Judas first plotted to betray Jesus for thirty silver coins.
Answer 8: ‘Diwali’ (also known as ‘The Festival of Light’) is a five day Hindu festival. The word Diwali translates as ‘rows of lighted lamps’.
Answer 9: ‘Gurpurabs’ are celebrations or commemorations based on the lives of the Sikh gurus.
Answer 10: ‘Bodhi Day’ remembers the day that Siddhartha Gautauma (the Buddha) achieved enlightenment after meditating under his bodhi tree for forty days.